MOVIES

Whatever.

Jan De Bont / Director

Putting people in peril is Jan De Bont's specialty. But the Dutch-born director of "Speed," "Twister" and "Speed 2: Cruise Control," which opened Friday, fears that if more stories aren't as impressive as their film's special effects, the action-movie genre could be in peril. Now, the 52-year-old filmmaker is looking forward to some post-movie inaction at his Brentwood home with his wife and two young children.

ACTION!: "I think we're going to see a temporary step downward. The effects now are quite often overwhelming the rest of the picture. What you'll see is better integration of the story line and effects--and effects will quickly be quite a lot better."

COMPUTERS VS. ACTORS: "Soon we will be able to create characters digitally. It will never be the same. Yes, you will be able to duplicate a character, but never duplicate a soul or heart."

BEST ACTOR: "I would love to work with Harrison Ford. Don't know if it will ever happen. If you see him on the screen, it doesn't matter what part, but you feel you know him. Very few people have that. Sandra [Bullock] has it a little bit."

UPCOMING: "I'm working on a kind of western combined with science fiction. Takes place in the past, based on Indian legends. The script is by W.D. Richter, the guy who wrote 'Buckaroo Banzai.' I loved that movie."

ACTION RIVAL: "I definitely want to see 'Titanic.' There are movies that spend a fortune and you say, 'Wait, where did all the money go?' But with [director James Cameron] it is all visual. Like if you go to Cirque du Soleil, you know it's the best people. That's a little bit what action adventure is about."

BRITOPHILE: "I liked 'Trainspotting' very much--one of the last movies I saw before I started making my movie. Very fresh approach to filmmaking. What's going on in England, Scotland and Ireland is like a new wave, very exciting."

THINK GLOBALLY: "Visual storytelling for the international audience is more important than the audiovisual way. If you can tell a story just by means of pictures, then you will be ahead of the game in markets around the world."

EAT LOCALLY: "My favorite place is a little Japanese restaurant in the Brentwood Mall, Taiko, a noodle place. My kids love it as well. I go on a weekly basis--when I ask my kids where they want to eat, they only say 'Japanese,' and there's only one place they mean."